Sydney's extroverted and sparkling and, although she's Australia's oldest city, she almost looks brand new. With a convict larrikinism still lurking underneath, she's frantic yet casual, busy yet laid back. Sure, the locals are obsessed with real estate, but why not when it's so good? There are great beaches, a marvellous harbour and a tolerant, multicultural atmosphere. And, since the Olympics, she's even more accessible and exciting. Yes, there are the homeless, the drug dependent, the unemployed and the lonely - but that's a city for you - and, as cities of four million people go, she's still a town with a heart and a need to party.

The Sydney Opera House is the busiest performing arts centre in the world. Since its opening in 1973, it has brought countless hours of entertainment to millions of people and has continued to attract the best in world class talent year after year.

Even today, many visitors are surprised to find that the Sydney Opera House is really a complex of theatres and halls all linked together beneath its famous shells. There are nearly 1000 rooms in the Opera House including the five main auditoria. There is also a Reception Hall, five rehearsal studios, four restaurants, six theatre bars, extensive foyer and lounge areas, sixty dressing rooms and suites, library, an artists' lounge and canteen known as the "Green Room", administrative offices and extensive plant and machinery areas.

In an average year, the Sydney Opera House presents theatre, musicals, opera, contemporary dance, ballet, every form of music from symphony concerts to jazz as well as exhibitions and films. It averages around 3,000 events each year with audiences totaling up to two million. In addition, approximately 200,000 people take a guided tour of the complex each year. The Opera House operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day and Good Friday.

To get to Circular Quay and The Rocks, you can hop a ferry or jump on the monorail into the CBD, but the walk from Darling Harbour to the even more darling harbour can be more rewarding. Heading into the city, you cross Pyrmont Bridge, occasionally being overtaken by young things on rollerblades wearing Walkmans, and up to the grand Queen Victoria Building. It takes up a whole block and is home to more than 200 shops. At the southern end is the excessively ornate Town Hall with Australia's oldest cathedral, St Andrews, next door. Down George Street takes you to cinemas, amusement halls and fast food.

Near the north side of the Queen Vic is the main shopping precinct (Pitt Street Mall) and Centrepoint Tower that has a revolving restaurant and a 360-degree viewing level. Of course, it's known as the AMP Tower, an architectural example of how advertising has become such a part of our lives. Personally I can't stand the Sheffield Shield belonging to a milk company, a phone company owning the Wallabies and a brewery owning Australia's greatest horse race.

A little further along Market Street you run into Hyde Park. At the edge of the park behind the old entrance to St James station, is a trendy little eatery, located where a yellow-tiled public lavatory and infamous pick-up place once sat. Hyde Park itself is a slab of green in the middle of the city. Office workers lunch on the grass, old men gather to play chess, lovers meet and lie holding hands. At the Macquarie Street end is the Greek mythology inspired Archibald Fountain. At the southern end is the simple, but poignant, Anzac Memorial. Across College Street is the Australian Museum and, heading back towards Macquarie Street is St Mary's, one of the world's largest cathedrals. On the other side of the park is the Great Synagogue. Both have free tours.

Turn right after St Mary's to the excellent Art Gallery of New South Wales and The Domain. The large, open area was once Australia's first farm, but today city workers use it to take a break - jogging or playing various sports. On Sundays speakers take to their soapboxes. It’s also the venue for large, free open-air concerts and events such as Opera in the Park and Carols by Candlelight. Across a walkway (or you can access from the Opera House and Macquarie Street) are the Royal Botanic Gardens, which open from sunrise to sunset.

And you can climb it. BridgeClimb, despite its price tag, is for me Sydney's best attraction. While not for those with extreme vertigo, it is completely safe. You receive training before the climb and at all times are attached to the bridge with specially designed harnesses. You will also be breath-tested before being allowed to take the climb. (One unfortunate climber on my trip failed the breath test because he'd gargled with a mouth freshener, which is almost pure alcohol.) You only need a moderate level of fitness - it's informative, exciting and the view is terrific. There are NightClimbs as well.

Once, unless you were farewelling a naval boat, the only reason to head to Woolloomooloo Wharf was for a pie from Harry's Cafe de Wheels. Now it's The Wharf and home to restaurants, shops and a boutique hotel. There are four, smaller finger wharves just west of the Harbour Bridge on Walsh Bay, again with shops and eateries, and one wharf is home to the Wharf Theatre.

Under the bridge on the north side are Luna Park and North Sydney Pool. Luna Park has had a turbulent past through recent decades, and it may or may not be open. (At the time of writing it was promised a multi-million-dollar facelift.)

It still has some of the old, quaint, amusement park attractions like Coney Island with its timber slides, as well as state-of-the-art rides and Ferris-wheel fun. It's been very much a Sydney icon since the 1930s but, since a tragic fire on the Ghost Train in the 1970s, it hasn't been able to regain its former glory. Next to Luna Park is North Sydney Olympic Pool. It would be just a nice swimming pool except for the unique view of the bridge and the sound of the trains trundling across.

There are many ways to enjoy Sydney Harbour itself: you can sail or cruise across it, dive under it, parasail or take a chopper over it, or take a walk along its foreshores. Harbour landmarks include Kirribilli House (the Prime Minister's home), Admiralty House and Fort Denison. Once a convict harbour prison, Pinchgut?now has a restaurant as well as tours. When it was built it was the perfect prison. Not many of the inmates could swim, and those who could weren't game to chance being taken by a shark. There are a number of small islands within the harbour that are lovely spots for picnics, such as Shark and Clark islands, provided you can supply your own water transport and you have made a booking at the Sydney Harbour National Parks Information Centre.

Australia Travel